Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
Provide beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp. May shampoo hair, apply makeup, dress wigs, remove hair, and provide nail and skincare services.
Most important skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
Key knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Administrative
What the work involves
- Keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs.
- Cut, trim and shape hair or hairpieces, based on customers' instructions, hair type, and facial features, using clippers, scissors, trimmers and razors.
- Analyze patrons' hair and other physical features to determine and recommend beauty treatment or suggest hair styles.
- Schedule client appointments.
- Bleach, dye, or tint hair, using applicator or brush.
- Update and maintain customer information records, such as beauty services provided.
- Shampoo, rinse, condition, and dry hair and scalp or hairpieces with water, liquid soap, or other solutions.
- Demonstrate and sell hair care products and cosmetics.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Social.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate (68% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- None (58.4%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (25.3%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very high | Higher on contact with others than 81% of occupations compared | 88% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very high | Higher on dealing with the public than 98% of occupations compared | 85% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 78% of occupations compared | 48% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 97% of occupations compared | 89% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 89% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 71% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 70% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Very low | Lower on consequence of error than 83% of occupations compared | 39% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: very low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Occasional contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Contact with others about half the time: 12.49%
- Contact with others most of the time: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Constant contact with others: 87.51%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very important: 15.13%
- Extremely important: 84.87%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 18.65%
- Fairly important: 3.03%
- Important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very important: 30.21%
- Extremely important: 48.12%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very little freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Limited freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Some freedom: 11.31%
- A lot of freedom: 88.69%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a year or more but not every month: 5.3%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 23.79%
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: 42.58%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 5.82%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 20.43%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 31.45%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 38.46%
- Every day: 3.83%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 18.31%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 44.22%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 16.32%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 17.32%
- Every day: 3.83%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 37.46%
- Fairly serious: 13.95%
- Serious: 38.74%
- Very serious: 3.83%
- Extremely serious: 6.01%
n = 14, Incumbent 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 39-5012.00 · SOC 39-5012 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8